Automatic compensatory electric reel.



. n; L. MONTAGU. AUTOMATIC COMPENSATOBY ELECTRIC REEL.

(Application filed Oct. 17, 1900.) (No Model.)

3 Sheets-Shed! THE cams PErEns co. mom-Irma" WASHINGTON, u c.

Patented Dec. 24, I90].

n. L. MONTAGU. AUTOMATIC GUMPENSATORY ELECTRIC REEL.

(Application filgd Oct. 17, 1900.)

' 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' (No Model.)

" TH: Nqnms PETERS co.. PHOTD-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, o. c I

U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH L. MONTAGU, OF OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR E ONE-HALF TOBENJAMIN sTANLEY REVETT, OF BRECKENRIDGE, COLORADO.

AUTOMA TIC C OMPENSATORY ELECTRIC REEL.

SPECIFICATION forming art of Letters Patent No. 689,826, dated December24., 1901. Application filed October 1'7, 1900. Serial No.33,390. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it nuty concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH L. MONTAGU, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oroville, in the county of B utte andState of California,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in AutomaticCompensatory Electric Reels, of which the following is a full,

' clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to utilize an electric current generatedat a distance for furnishing power on a periodically removed Orremovable body containing machinery or other apparatus inor by which theelectric current may be utilized.

In placer, alluvial, or river mining where floating or otherwisemovabledredges are utilized the introduction of the electric current upon suchdredges'for power purposes when such current is supplied from a distantpower-station is attended with mechanical difficulties, such as thesagging and consequent dragging of the conductors, owing to the distancethat the dredge may have to be anchored'from the shore of the stream.

My invention is designed to afford a simple and efficient means forsupplying the electric current to such a dredge from a pole-line runningfrom a distant power-station; and'my invention comprises a compensatoryreel or drum-like body to be erected upon the dredge and means tooperate said reel to take up and pay out the conductors as the dredge ismoved from place to place and within the breaking strain of theconductors, all as I will proceed now more particularly to set forth andfinally claim.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the severalfigures of which like part-s are similarly designated, Figured is adiagram showing one available installation. Fig. 2 is a front elevationof a gang of my compensatory reels. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of thereel with a portion of one of its sides broken away to show the rim.Fig. 4 is an elevation, and Fig. 5 a plan, of a gang of such reels andtheir operating mechanism. Fig. 6 is a diagram of an electrical systemfor controlling or regulating the supply of current to thereel-operating motor. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail of the sliding guideand its frame and attached contacts. Fig. 8 is a pering itsmachinery-operated by power.

spective View of one end of the sliding guide, showing its attachedcontact. Fig. 9 is a sectional detail, on an enlarged scale, showing theelectrical connection between the reel and its shaft; and Fig. 10 isacross-section taken in the-plane of line 10 10, Fig. 9.

Referring to Fig. 1, a. may represent a power-station of any approvedconstruction for generating electricity, and from which line-wires b ofany number may be led over poles e to any distance. a may represent amining-dredge of any approved construction and movable by power carriedon it and hav- In order, to supply electric power for-operating thisdredge or its machinery, or both, I erect upon the deck or any suitableportion of this dredge any number of reels f. In the illustration heregiven I have shown three linewires connected up in a three-phasethreewire circuit and as many reels, and these reels may be mounted torevolve upon a stationary shaft 9, common to all, or each reel may havea separate shaft. This shaft or these shafts is or are mounted insuitable stands or frames 71.. Each reel may be built up in the form ofa drum of planking, substantially as indicated in the drawings, Fig.

3, with side flanges i and a rim j, or they may be constructed in anyother suitable manner and are preferably coated or painted with aninsulating substance. Each reel is supplied with a permanent or appliedelectric conductor k, which may be and preferably is a continuation ofthe line-wire b and which may terminate in some metallic portionconnected to and movable with the reel and which in turn contacts with ametallic portion on the shaft, froinwhich extends the 0service-conductor m, which may lead to the machinery or apparatus to besupplied with cured in place by means of fastening devices L, insulatedfrom the bushing by the sleeves or collars Z of any suitable insulatingmaterial, a suitable insulating material 1 being interposed between thereel and bushing, and to the bushingl the conductor is connected by aconnector 70' and bolt k Figs. 9 and 10, or in any other suitablemanner. The shaft 9 is stationary, and mounted thereupon to receive themetallic bushing l is a metallic sleeve g, secured to said shaft bysuitable fastenings g insulated from said sleeve by the insulation P, asuitable insulation g being interposed between the said shaft andsleeve, and to the sleeve g the conductor m is connected by a connector9 and bolt 9 Figs. 9 and 10, or in any other suitable manner. Acomplemental bushing Z and sleeve g are arranged upon the opposite sideof the reel to facilitate rotation. From this construction it will beobserved that during the rotation of the reels the circuit between theconductors k and m will not be interrupted, the bushingland the sleeve 9always remaining in contact during rotation, thereby maintaining thecircuit between said conductors.

Mounted upon the dredge is an electric inotor n, the armature of which,through a belt 0 or other suitable gearing, transmits its motion to apulley 19, mounted upon a shaft q, arranged in suitable bearingsparallel to the shaft 9 and in close proximity to the reels f. Upon theshaft (1' are mounted and engaging the peripheries of the reels a seriesof friction-pulleys g, by which the reels are adapted to be rotated ineither direction, for a purpose presently appearing. Also mounted uponthe dredge in any suitable manner and extending above the reels to asuitable height is a stand 9', and suitably supported in the upper endof said stand is a series of pulleys or sheaves 0", equal in number tothe number of line-wires and upon which the linewires are supported andtravel in the movement of the dredge. Extending from near the upper endof the stand r are suitable arms or brackets T and rising from the outerends thereof are slotted uprights o connected at their upper ends by across-piece 7. Arranged in said slotted uprights and adapted to slidetherein is a sliding guide 8, constructed as a bar, having reduced ends5, adapted to engage and slide in the slotted uprights r and alsoprovided between its ends with a series of holes or perforations :5equal in number to the number of line-wires and through whichperforations the line-wires pass. The perforations s are slightlytapered from the opposite sides of the bar toward the center to permitthe free passage of the wires and to prevent the wires from bindingtherein in the movement of the bar or guide from one position toanother. Upon the inner face of one of the slotted uprights r and at asuitable distance apart are arranged two sets of contact-plates t t andu a,

adjacent thereto to complete a local circuit for a purpose presentlyappearing. tails, Figs. 7 and 8.)

For the purpose of automatically controlling or regulating the directionof rotation of the reels in taking up and letting out the linewires inthe movement of the dredge I use a three pole switch apparatus,substantially such as I have shown in diagram in Fig. 0. At any suitableplace upon the dredge I arrange a battery to and connect one polethereof by wires 1 2 with the contact-plates t and u, and the other poleof said battery is connected by the wires 3 4 with one of the terminalsof two electromagnets was, respectively, while the other terminals ofsaid magnets are connected by the wires 5 6 with the contactplates t andu. Suitably arranged with relation to the clectromagnets a: 00 and to beoperated thereby is a three-pole switch q], having suitable connections,as indicated in the drawings, with the line-wires l1 and with the motora, whereby upon the operation of the switch the power-current to themotor may be reversed, and consequently the rota tion of the reelsreversed.

I wish to be understood as not limiting my invention to the particularapparatus herein described for reversing the rotation of the reels, asany other well-known mechanical means may be used for accomplishing thispurpose, nor do I limit my invention to other details of constructionand arrangement herein shown and described.

The operation is as follows: The dredge being located at a suitabledistance from the shore for carrying on its operation and its operationbeing completed at that location and it being desired to change thelocation of the dredgesay to a distance farther away from the shorethedredge-propelling machinery is set into operation, it deriving itscurrent over the line-wires Z). The movement of the dredge will causethe line-Wires to be drawn taut, and consequently the sliding guide 3will be caused to rise, and as soon as its contact-plate 0 (sodesignated also in Fig. (3) comes in contact with the contacts t t thelocal circuit through the wires 1 8 5 and electromagnet 09 is completedand energizes the magnet 00, which in turn shifts the threepole switch 7to the position shown in Fig. 6 and starts the motor 7t, and through itsconnections with the reels rotates the reels in a direction to unwind'the line-wires b and without interruption of the circuit to thepropelling machinery. When the desired location is reached and thedredge is stopped, the line-wires are slackened and permit the slidingguide 8 to dr0p,thereby breaking the circuit to magnet 00 and releasingthe switch,

(See de- IIO thereby cutting out the circuit to and stopping thereel-operating motor a. When the dredge is not in motion and itsoperation is being carried on, its dredging machinery being operated bythe current over the linewires, the sliding guide 3 normally remains ina position between and out of contact with the contacts 6 t and u u, andthe switch y hangs in its normal inactive position, and hence there isno current passing to the reel-. operating motor a. It the line-wiresshould in any way become too slack, the sliding guide will drop, and itscontact 1) coming into contact with the contacts a u will complete thelocal circuit through'thewires 2 4 6 and magnet 03, thus energizingmagnet and shifting the switchg to the right, Fig. 6, thereby divertingthe power-current to the motor in a direction to rotate the reels totake up the undue slack in the line-wires. This lastdescribedoperationis also effected when it is desired to move the dredge nearer to theshore, it only being necessary to start the propelling machinery topropel the dredge in that direction, the reels taking up and wind ingthe line-wires as the dredge is moved along.

If for any reason the dredge is to be located at such a distance fromthe shore as to exceed the breaking-strain capacity of the conductors,pontoons having poles to support the line-wires may be arranged atintervals between the dredge and shore or last pole.

The number and character of reels will be appropriate to the weight andcharacter of the conductors and of the current supplied.

I do not limit my invention to the use of a reel on a dredge, sinceobviously it is applicable to other floating or movablebodies upon whichelectrical'power is to be introduced for lighting purposes, runninggenerators, mo-

tors, or any other class or kind of machinery, and so, also, thelocation of the reels is a matter largely of convenience or choice withthe user, it being assumed that the best location of the reel is thatwhere the minimum amount of haul of wires or other conductors will takeplace. 7

What I claim is 1. A compensatory electric reel, adapted to receive andsupport the end of an electric conductor, and having a service-conductorfor leading off the current to the machinery or apparatus to be suppliedwith such current, and adapted to take up and let out said electricconductor, a metallic bushing inserted in the hub of the reel andadapted to be connected with said electric conductor, and a metallicsleeve arranged upon the shaft of said reel and about which the metallicbushing and and adapted to be connected with said electric conductor,and a metallic sleeve arranged upon the shaft of said reel and insulatedtherefrom and about which the metallic bushing and reel rotate and towhich the said serviceconductor is adapted to be connected,substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination of a dredge or other floating or movable body ofmachinery, a distant electric power-station, line-wires leading fromsaid power station to said dredge or other floating or movable body,compensatory reels mounted upon such dredge or other floating or movablebody and receiving the ends of said line-wires, electric connectionsbetween said reels and line wires adapted to serve the power to themachinery, an electric motor for rotating said reels included in theline-cir cuit, and means for automatically reversing said motor, wherebythe line-wires may be taken up or let out, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a dredge or other floating or movable body ofmachinery, a distant electric power-station, line-wires leading fromsaid power-station to said dredge or other floating or movable body,compensatory reels mounted upon such dredge or other fioat ing ormovable body and receiving the ends of said line-wires, electricconnections between said reels and line-wires adapted to serve the powerto the machinery, an electric motor for rotating said reels and a switchincluded in the line-circuit, a local circuit including elec-'tromagnets for operating said switch, a supporting-stand for saidline-wires, stationary contacts on said stand, and a sliding guide forthe line-wires in said stand and provided with a contact-plate adaptedto engage said sta tionary contacts, whereby the local circuit isautomatically completed to operate the switch and thereby control thedirection of rotation of the motor and the reels operated thereby,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day ofOctober, A. D. 1900.

RALPH L. MONTAGU. Witnesses:

GUSTAV BEIGE, J. R. CALLAHAN.

